The Black Lives Matter UK movement chose to protest the airport because of its plans to expand, a move that would reportedly negatively affect one of London’s most poverty-stricken areas.
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A group of nine protesters had locked themselves to a tripod they had erected on the runway, the Metropolitan Police said in a statement issued later Tuesday.
How did they get on the runway of London City airport?
The protest coincided with a social media campaign, including a video making the case that the “climate crisis is a racist crisis”. Im not sure if they are chained together but they are huddled together.
Police began the arrests at about 9.30 a.m. local time (4.30 a.m. ET) – about four hours after the police were first alerted to the protest.
So far seven of the nine protestors have been arrested.
It is understood the protesters managed to make their way onto the tarmac after sailing across the Royal Docks on a boat.
Flights were suspended for several hours Tuesday morning at the airport, which is heavily used by people working in the United Kingdom capital’s banking and finance sector, as police attempted to negotiate with the protesters.
“The average salary of a London City Airport user is £114,000 and 63 per cent of them work in business, finance or other business services”.
All flights due to land at the airport have now been diverted to Southend Airport in Essex and London Gatwick.
The airport offers short-haul flights to locations in Britain and mainland Europe, and served more than four million passengers previous year, many of them travelling on business.
The British branch of the Black Lives Matter movement, which held its first major protests in Britain last month, claimed responsibility for Tuesday’s demonstration.
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He added the disruption to flights was “a very small inconvenience when you think about the consequences for black communities daily” and the protesters would remain on site “as long as feasibly possible”.
